This is a stage drama I wrote about family suffering financial tumoil. Their universe is a surreal one in which one’s psychological state takes on a physical reality. i.e. When a young medical student becomes out of touch with his emotions, his skin takes on a metallic hue as he slowly turns into a robot.

This play had a short run at The Proders’ Club in 2003. It is is being considered for a possible run in Los Angeles in 2011.

This script is based on my real-life experience in US Army Airborne Rangers. I scored off the charts in the Army ASVAB and had my choice of MOS (specialty) and the option for OCS (Officer Candidate School). I chose to be an enlisted infantryman with a Ranger contract at age 27.

My first night in basic training involved my being roused out of bed to appear before the company commander. He wanted to know about my MA from Columbia University. From then on I was screwed with throughout my military carreer. The rode me all through 3 months basic even though my PT scores (Physical Fitness Test) were 1st in the plattoon, 4th in the company (about 100 men). Then they rode me for one month of AIT (Advanced Individual Training). Then they rode me for 3 weeks of Jump School (parachuting). They even rode me for two weeks of holdover. All for the same reason. They couldn’t figure out what a man with my education was doing there. That and they were still upset over the Civil War.

Finally I approached the last hurdle, RIP (Ranger Indoctrination Program). If I made it through I would be assigned to a Ranger battallion. I woul actually be a membe of the Special Ops community. RIP was three weeks of hell. I had a Staff Serjeant who had it in for me and tried to saboutage me depriving me of sleep and jerking my rucksack around while I was marching so i would stumble and twist my ankle, big surprise. I blocked him out and kept going. I had another Staff Serjeant threaten to break my jaw. I had another one with fifteen confirmed kills under his belt threaten to have somehing happen to me. But, I didn’t quit. When I did te Night Navigation course in February with no winter gear, soaked up to my knees, I kept moving knowing that if I fell asleep, I would die of hypothermia. When it was time for the fianl PT Test and my knee was ready to blow, I just popped some motrin and ran like a deer.

Despite all the resistance I made it. My dad flew to Georgia from New York to see me graduate, knowing full well it might be his last time seeing me before I get sent on a combat mission. Less than half of us graduated. The rest either quit, or were sidelined with injuries. Receiving my beret was the proudest day in my life. My MA from Columbia was nothing by comparison. (Rangers wore black berets then. There were no tan berets at the time.)

The day after my graduation I was processing paperwork with the other new Rangers. I was to be shipped out to Ft. Lewis, Washington, 2nd Battallion. The Battallion tha was my first choice. Suddenl I was called into an office. A Ranger Plattoon Serjeant told me I would not be sent to a Ranger battallion. He said that I was being kicked out of the Rangers. When I politely asked for an explaination he put me in parade rest for 12 hours. That’s when things started to get really bad…

SCULTURE WARRIOR is a documenatary I made about my granfather, Peter Blanc, a master sculptor/painter who served in US Army during World War II. His subject matter had one continuous theme. Warriors. In his mind this included military and political leaders that shaped history. Heroes and villains. From Biblical times to World War II. My grandfather included them all, without judgement. Most of his sculptures range from 4′-7′ tall. His tallest is 9′. When you included is paintings and tactiles, he has several hundred pieces inhis body of work.

My film gives atour of the work of Peter Blanc, as well interviews between my granfather and me. We also discuss his World War II experience since we both served in the Army, as infantrymen, at different points in history.

Here’s some info on a script I wrote about my experiences in the Guardian Angles. It was a finalist in two festivals and I am currently shopping it arounf Hollywood. My ideal lead would be Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He has the ideal look, acting ability, and athletic ability for the part. John Leguizamo would be perfect to play the role of CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, the charismatic leader of the New York chapter of the Guardian Angels. The script is New York based and has many parts for black and hispanic actors and film combatants. There are many martial arts fight scenes. Here is the logline and summary.

AN ANGEL’S TALE

LOGLINE: Crazyhorse, an outcast at his politically correct college, decides to whip some ass and joins the dangerous world of the underground crime-fighting organization known as the Guardian Angels. This is based on a true story.

SYNOPSIS: It’s 1990 and Sarah Lawrence College is ripe with Political Correctness. Nineteen-year old David just can’t fit in. It’s bad enough that the women at his college coldly reject him, but when he can’t sleep because his roommate is having sex in the top bunk, David is pushed over the edge. When his sense of isolation causes him to lose all fear of death, David, a martial artist, joins the Guardian Angels and takes the codename CRAZYHORSE. His double-life begins. During the school-week, David is a college freshman, juggling his course-load and slowly courting ALICE, the girl-next-door type in his political science class. During the weekends he becomes Crazyhorse, martial arts crime-fighter in a secretive group of ghetto vigilantes. His liberal-minded classmates have no knowledge of his weekend activities. He can’t even tell his MOM, who is battling breast cancer, for fear the stress over her worrying for his safety could kill her.

During a riot on the mean streets of New York City, Crazyhorse takes on numerous gang members single-handedly before being rescued by his fearless but reckless and not-altogether-sane Patrol Leader, COPI. This solidifies Crazyhorse’s rep as a street fighter and his loyalty to Copi. Copi’s example inspires him to strive to become a Patrol Leader himself. To get promoted to Patrol Leader, he’s got to impress Capital Punishment, the charismatic commander New York City Chapter of the Guardian Angels. This street-wise Puerto Rican isn’t quite sure that a college-educated whiteboy like Crazyhorse is ready to lead Angels into combat.

When Crazyhorse and his fellow Angels rescue a merchant being shot by a robber, Alice from his college is in the crowd of bystanders. As he performs, first-aid on the victim’s bullet-wound, Crazyhorse’s and Alice’s eyes lock and the secret is out. His college life and his Angel life begin to merge. He finally gains the courage to ask her out.

The growing reputation of Crazyhorse and his fighting prowess attract the admiration of some, but the jealousy of others. DEADLY FORCE, an overweight bully who outranks Crazyhorse, blocks and undermines Crazyhorse, questioning his masculinity. In order to defend his reputation and his right to lead, Crazyhorse must challenge Deadly Force to single combat.

When Crazyhorse overcomes his obstacles and gets promoted, he quickly learns that getting command and keeping command are two different things. Being a bad-ass gets you respect, but its not enough to command the streets. Crazyhorse needs to develop streetsmarts and fast, something the naïve, college-educated whiteboy is gravely deficient in.

The long anticipated date with Alice arrives, but unfortunately, it ends in disaster and Alice dumps Crazyhorse to support her heroin-addicted ex-boyfriend. In a fit of depression, Crazyhorse goes to a barber to cut his long hair short. As his hair falls to the floor, Crazyhorse begins to see that his involvement in the Angels is less about the courage to face criminals and more about illusory escapism from his bad social situation at college.

Now Crazyhorse must lead Guardian Angel patrols while juggling his broken heart, his over-protective Mom, and his term-paper and sinking GPA. In a skirmish, Crazyhorse gets stabbed and everyone, even Copi, his hero, believes that he froze under pressure. Still he won’t quit the Angels.

When he visits his mom on Mother’s Day, she confronts him with a bill she received for the treatment of his stab wounds. He’s forced to acknowledge the secret life he didn’t want her to worry about. When CURTIS, the group’s founder is shot in a John Gotti styled hit, Mom confronts Crazyhorse in front of his fellow Angels while he is leading a patrol and pressures Crazyhorse to quit the group. He refuses and they argue and become estranged.

Then Curtis drops a media bombshell. He confesses that much of the early heroics of the Guardian Angels were a carefully arranged publicity stunt and that he even falsely accused the New York City Transit Police of kidnapping and torturing him just so he could get badly needed media attention and funding for the organization. Mom reveals that Curtis attempted to do a reversal on his promise to pay Crazyhorse’s medical bill for the stab-wound and only gave in when she confronted him and threatened to go to the papers.

Over Thanksgiving dinner, Crazyhorse pours over newspapers with a complete loss of faith in himself and everything he believes in. Mom, now more respectful, hands him a report card with his falling grades and asks him about his futures plans. He decides to leave the Guardian Angels. Mom suggests that he catch up on his grades and apply for a Masters program at Columbia University, where she has some connections.

An Epilogue reveals that Crazyhorse gets his MA from Columbia. Mom succumbs to breast cancer shortly after Crazyhorse’s graduation. Crazyhorse winds up living the life of an adventurer. His varied careers include soldier, daytrader, actor, policeman, and ,of course, writer. The last image is a list of the six Guardian Angels killed in-the-line-of-duty.

This is from a play that I wrote, WHITEEYEBROW AND THE DESTRUCTION OF SHAOLIN. Here is the climactic duel between the Shaolin monk FUNG DOE DUK(Manny Brown) and the Manchu leader, GENERAL JIANG (Douglas Ferguson) Special thanks to our talented fighter/choreographers Douglas Ferguson and Manny Brown, as well as Producer Shing Ka and Director Mark Stanton.

This sequel to WHITE EYEBROW AND THE DESTRUCTION OF SHAOLIN picks up exactly where the play left off, with our heroes, Fung Doe Duk, Mew Hing, and Ng Mui retreating into the Wudang Mountains from the Manchu army after the destruction of the Shaolin Temple. The script is finished. There was talk of having it produced but the global recession has put that plan on hold. If I can find the resources this play will get produced.